it's a lion's den
by daughter-of-october
Summary: [Characters: Olivier Armstrong, Bendix Llewellyn, Jade Tempest, Phil Tempest, Martin Force, Serena Hamilton, Kay Hamilton, Helena Hamilton and Nerissa Hamilton] # Summary: They hopefully know what they are doing. # Same universe as: dust like sin, in our old familiar place, once upon a december


**_it's a lion's den_**

**Characters**: Olivier Armstrong, Bendix Llewellyn, Jade Tempest, Phil Tempest, Martin Force, Serena Hamilton, Kay Hamilton, Helena Hamilton and Nerissa Hamilton

**Summary**: They hopefully know what they are doing.

* * *

The George Tempest Private High School in Central City was rumoured to be the best among all the schools in town and the students would confirm this gladly if asked. The school was located in the outskirts of the capital where the richer civilians and generals had their mansions. The list of students was – given the high fee and the surroundings – easily described: the sons and daughters of generals and rich business men and women. The most prominent students might be the Armstrong-heiress Olivier who was also president of the student council (her siblings attended a different school because the school was not only expensive but the classes were also advanced and Olivier's siblings had had no interest in a school that required so much dedication of the students), the Hamilton-sisters who were the daughters of two quite infamous generals of the Amestrian military or the relatives of the man who had founded the school in first place.

All in all, the Tempest High as it was most commonly called, was a school for people who wanted to be successful later on in their lives and many important people of the society had attended the school at one point or another. Lieutenant General Charlotte Llewellyn who had made career in the Western Area had been president of the student council, captain of the swimming team and vice captain of the chess team while she had attended and her successors had written similar success stories along the years.

It was a nice summer day as Bendix Llewellyn, son of the aforementioned Charlotte Llewellyn, strolled down the hallway. He was a good-looking young man with blond hair and green eyes that usually held a mischievous expression. His uniform was clean and neat as usual with the badge that marked him as a member of the student council (he was treasurer and quite proud of this position) gleaming in the sunlight.

Bendix was the usual sunny boy, someone who was popular and liked by most other students, but today, his mood was not as bright as usually and a deep frown was etched into the forehead of the eighteen-year-old boy.

"Treasurer," a girl called out as she waved at him. "Does the council will decide on the budget for the summer festival today? I heard that the vice-president complained about this … she is in charge of the festival after all and she really wants to know how much money she can use…"

He shrugged. "She will get the money early enough to make plans for the festival," he said. "I am sure that she will have everything calculated already anyway. She is that kind of person."

"If you say so…" the girl shrugged before she disappeared into another classroom.

"Ben."

An arm was slung around his shoulders as his best friend since childhood appeared. Olivier Armstrong, eighteen as well and president of the student council, had an habit of sneaking up on him but since he had learned to anticipate her surprise attacks along the past seventeen years, he did no longer flinch and merely smiled at her. To him, there was no one prettier than her on this entire school and this actually meant something because to an unbiased eye, there would be many very pretty young women.

"Liv," he replied as he gently patted her shoulder. "Did something happen? You seem happy."

"One of the fools of the class for Xingese Martial Arts challenged me for a duel," she replied. "I agreed because it's my last year and I cannot let it pass without having a single battle. That's why I was looking for you in first place, by the way, I formally ask you to come with me."

"You know that the vice president will find out and kill you?" he asked with a frown. "She is part of the committee that makes sure that everyone obeys the rules. And by everyone I mean everyone and the president of the students' council, Liv."

"As long as no one decides to mess with my challenge and tells on me, she won't know."

"Liv, I hate to break it to you but this is Tempest High and this is our vice president we are talking about," he sighed. "If no student tells her, she will still know somehow. You know how she is … she knows everything that happens in this school."

"She is the grand-granddaughter of Georg Tempest after all," the girl nodded as she shrugged. "In any cases – if she hears of the challenge after I won, it will be okay."

"The class for Xingese Martial Arts is probably the only one who can cause you trouble," he warned as he opened the door for her. "I will not lie: they are pretty though. I mean, they are trained by a former president, aren't they? Plus, the vice is captain of that club."

"Given that she told her team not to issue any challenges because of the upcoming tournament, I highly doubt that a member of her club would really go ahead and tell her that he challenged me," Olivier replied. "In any case, we should change the topic now, Bendix."

They entered the room of the students' council in silence and easily found their places. The bell rung and the other members bustled into the room and yet, two chairs stayed vacated. In any other case, Olivier would not have asked because usually, those who had been elected to represent their peers would attend but the fact that both her vice and the secretary were missed did not sit well with her – especially since they were best friends and had a great record.

"Tempest," she snarled as she looked up. "Where's your sister hiding? She is always there."

Philippe Tempest, a sixteen year old boy, lifted his gaze from the script he had been studying. While he was no seated member of the council which meant that he had no active duty to fulfil but to represent both his class and the newspaper club, he was still usually there and had a far better attendance record than some of the seated members of the previous years. (Olivier shuddered as she remembered the year when she had been secretary of a president who had hardly been there at all.) Phil as he was mostly called, however, was a dedicated student with handsome facial features and generally good grades and a high degree of popularity.

"Jade is at the doctor's. She got herself injured in training yesterday evening and decided to have a doctor looking at it before she has to take another long break from the club and everything."

"She is excused for today," Olivier sighed as she turned her head into the direction of the person who would be president after she would have graduated. "Hamilton, where's your sister?"

The four Hamilton-sisters had all been elected to be parts of the council, much to Olivier's dismay. The sisters shared the same noble facial features and through their top grades, they were envied by many. Olivier might have had a lesser problem with the quartet of them in the council if they would be easier to understand which they were not. And yet, one of them was the secretary, another one was the head of the disciplinary squad and the both others were in charge of the music and the art club respectively – and it was all due to their talents, of course.  
The oldest sister, Nerissa, was a calm and collected girl with a tendency to fail to realise when she disturbed other people with her words. Nonetheless, she was a highly intelligent girl who led the art club with a mixture of easygoing lightness and had yet a firm hand when needed.  
Nerissa's twin, Kay, was the only one Olivier had once formed a sort of friendship with because Kay was more mature than her sister and had been uninvolved in many of the smaller arguments the council had had while Olivier had been president.  
The currently missing sister, Helena called Lynn, who was the secretary was also easy to tolerate but she had a slightly cruel side and at times, it was quite difficult to deal with her without getting overwhelmed.  
Finally, the youngest sister was relatively normal. Her name was Serena and while she was Nerissa's in terms of looks, she had yet to disturb someone with the choice of her words – mostly because she hardly spoke at all. She had been made captain of the music club against her will but she had shown great responsibility along the weeks and months she had been in charge.

"Lynn?" Nerissa titled her head upon having been previously addressed. "I think she might have tripped down the stairs this morning. She's such a klutz after all. She left early and if she isn't here yet, she might be at the doctor's too."

Next to her, Serena rolled her eyes but as usual, she chose not to comment this.

"Very well," Olivier said. "In this case, Mayer, you are taking notes. Please remember to make sure that both Tempest and Hamilton are informed about what we discuss today."

The brunette boy of her grade nodded as he grabbed his notebook. Charles Mayer was – and this came surprising at times – captain of the chess team. Most people did not expect this because he seemed more like a football player than like someone who would play chess. In any case, he had done the protocol before as well when the usual secretary had been sick or injured.

"First issue," Nerissa said in her strictest voice as she rose. "Budget for the festival this summer because Jade will go crazy otherwise … she needs a basis to work with."

"Agreed," Bendix nodded as he opened his files. "We have a higher budget this year than usual-"

"Which is something you have been saying for weeks now," Philippe interrupted.

"And I would like for you to tell your sister that she does not have to worry," the blond boy went on.

* * *

"Jade will totally murder both of us when she finds out that we are here," Bendix warned.

"She won't," Olivier replied as she looked around before she unlocked the door. "That's the thing about her: she may claim that she would do everything to uphold law and order but she does not like to get involved in business that is not hers. That means: she will try to stay out of this."

"Usually, yes, but didn't you notice how tensed she was lately? The kid is a dangerous mixture of anger, frustration and influence at the moment."

"Just as she is on any other day," she replied with a shrug. "I take seriously – she is a smart one and going up against her can only be foolishness but … she is also someone who has to be viewed realistically. And even the supposedly great Jade has her limits, don't you agree?"

"I do agree," he sighed as he accepted her coat. "The thing is just … in all the years we have known her, she has never lost control. She is careful, at least as careful as you are, to uphold a certain image. And I believe that she will be torn between upholding the rules and upholding her reputation if you seriously break this rule. I am not talking you out of this though."

"I have serious trouble to understand you right now," she admitted. "Well, we are there anyway. Last chance for you to back out of this, Ben."

He rolled his eyes. "I may not like this, Liv, but my loyalty has been my best feature for years and so believe me, I will stick with you today as well. If we get caught, we can serve detention together. I am not sure whether this is what you want to hear but there you go."

She lowered her head. "Believe me, Ben, I do appreciate this," she said as she patted his shoulder. She sometimes felt guilty because it always felt like using him when she accepted his help.

The challenger and a few other boys of the club were already there, standing in a lose circle before they split apart. It was strange how silent and stoic they were but Olivier had the theory that at least a few of them were Jade's fans and the vice-president was the definition of stoic.

"Wooden swords," one of the boys declared as he held out one of them to Olivier, only to have it grabbed by Bendix first who inspected it carefully. The blond girl wanted to protest against this sort of behaviour before she stopped and remembered that Bendix had once – when they had been ten – promised her to make sure that no harm would befall her and one of the things she really liked about him was the way he took promises very seriously.

"It is okay," he said after a moment as he passed on the sword. "I am getting paranoid."

She laughed as she grabbed the sword. "I am a big girl now," she said. "I can handle myself."

The duel started more or less seconds later and as it should have been expected, Olivier dominated the fight because she was the one who had trained her sword fight for years and so it was the easiest thing in the world of her. The only challenging thing about this fight was her opponent's speed but she found this quite interesting and thrilling because the only other time she had really had to try hard to win had been when she had fought Bendix, years back.

The sound of a door closing was the only warning Olivier and her opponent got because a second later, a dash of black and silver flew through the hall. This was usual a sign that something had gone wrong but Olivier did not stop her attacks because she had a reputation to defend.

But for the present members of the club, this sudden arrival was anything but positive.

"That's the fastest girl!"

"Is that really the captain?" another one asked as the flash of black and silver came to a hold and split into two people. Helena Hamilton called Lynn was the definition of unpredictable. She was captain of the track team and held multiple national records but she was also secretary of the students' council and a member of the club for Xingese Martial Arts. Her best friend was Jadelina Tempest called Jade who was the vice president, captain of the club and also member of various committees that organised festivals. The both girls had stopped the wooden swords with their bare hands and behind the both fighters, a well-known member of the disciplinary squad had arrived, holding Olivier back as she struggled against the grip. The member of the disciplinary squad was about as infamous as Olivier, Lynn and Jade. It was Kay Hamilton, Lynn's older sister. The seventeen year old redhead was quite famous among her peers because she ensured that the rules were obeyed. She was an unseated member of the students' council as she represented her class and she also had led the chess club to multiple victories along the years as she had been vice-captain there for a long time.

"Hamilton, let go of me," Olivier snapped as she tried to free herself. "I won't say this again … let me go! You are hurting me, dam nit!"

"I apologise for the inconvenience, president, but I fear that I cannot release you until you have dropped your weapon," the redhead replied calmly. "This was stupid of you, really stupid. If Jade hadn't been informed that you have allowed yourself to be challenged again, this might have ended a lot worse than with our involvement."

She relaxed as she let go of the sword, clenching her fists as she heard how it hit the ground. "I would have won," she said as she turned her head. "I would have won."

"Now, you let go of the other sword," Jade commanded, her voice cold and emotionless, as she picked up the first sword and took s step back before she straightened herself. She was a tall girl, taller than even quite a few of the boys. "As for you," she said, still addressing the member of her club. "Remember what I said? Before you go and challenge someone outside our club, you need to beat me. I cannot remember that you ever fought me seriously, John."

Olivier took a step back as she realised what the school gossip had meant when all the rumours had said that the closest what this elite school had to a gang of thugs where the different teams for martial arts. But usually, the captains worked hard to keep their people in line. The captains of the team for Cretan Swordplay and Martial had been seen chasing their own team over the training yard behind the school every time one of them had stepped out of line. And obviously, Jade was not above making sure that her team stayed in line with unconventional ways either.

"J-Jade?" the challenger asked as he finally let go of his sword as well. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said," she replied as she shed of her coat. "Why, are you scared?"

"We have a test tomorrow, Jade," Lynn interrupted as she gently touched her friend's shoulder. "That's why we should get to bed. You will get your revenge, I promise. But … not tonight."

Bendix moved from his place by the door and held out Olivier's coat. "We should go home now as well," he said carefully, just too aware of her temper. "It is better like this, Olivier. Let's go."

She sighed deeply before she glared at her opponent one last time and threw her hair over her shoulder. "Yeah," she agreed. "I leave it to you to deal with them, Kay and Jade."

"This won't be necessary because the punishment was already decided upon," Kay said as she crossed her arms. She looked cold and unforgiving as a merciless queen. "Nessa needs someone to clean the tables in her room and those young men just volunteered."

Olivier was happy that she was always pale because otherwise, her distress would have been visible. Cleaning the tables of the art club was hard punishment and something that was not dealt out lightly. "What about me?" she asked because even though she was president of the council, the rules went for her as well. "What will be my punishment?"

Jade turned her head as she shrugged off Lynn's hand. "This is something out of my control … but I guess that Kay might have an idea or two," she said before she walked away.

* * *

"I heard the president let herself be challenged by someone from the club for Xingese Martial Arts," Martin Force, captain of the football team, stated as he leaned against the doorframe. "I guess that this will cause trouble … wouldn't you agree, Charles?"

The brunette boy raised his gaze before he shrugged. "It all depends on how merciful Kay feels," he replied. "Usually, she likes Olivier and refuses to hand out hard punishment but … if breaking into the school has been part of this entire case, I have no idea what she will do."

"It was involved."

The both boys turned their heads and Martin sighed. "Nerissa."

The blonde who had won the competition 'Most beautiful student' many times got up from her seat on the windowsill and crossed her arms. She was most likely the smartest and the most annoying member of the council and she was also the only girl in the trio. They were, and this was something that made other students worry at times, among the best students. If they were a little better at making friendships, Jade, Phil and Serena would be with them but Jade was Lynn's best friend and Serena and Phil were always together and had no interest in other people.

"No matter what Kay came up with this time, we won't know it until the meeting," Nerissa said as she opened her bag and stuffed her sketch book into it. "And in any case, we have not much saying in this anyway. This is between the president, Jade and Kay."

"You are just as wise as always, Nerissa," Charles complimented. "In any case, we need to get our loyalties straight. If Kay lets us vote … we need to choose between our president and what is right. I am not sure what you will do, Nerissa. Kay is your twin sister."

"And she's your girlfriend … we are both biased in that case. That's why Martin will choose for us," Nerissa said nonchalantly. "You know, Charles, you are a terrible liar."

"As are you," Martin interrupted, eyes carefully guarded. "In any case, let's go. We have no time to waste. Before the meeting, we need to contact Llewellyn, and Philrena."

"I told you that it is creepy to call them that," Nerissa said as she followed him out of the room.

"But you have to admit that they act like they are just a single person, Nessa," Charles grinned as the trio rushed down a hallway.

* * *

While Olivier was the Ice Queen, Serena Hamilton was the Princess of Eternal Winter. No one could remember where this nickname had come from but it fit her better than most people would have guessed. She was a stoic and silent girl and mostly refrained from speaking unless it was necessary but she was by far the best singer and musician of the entire school. Much to her fan's dismay, she was mostly seen with Philippe Tempest who acted as her speaker at times.

It was common knowledge that the easiest way of finding her was finding Phil because they were literally always together. They visited exactly the same classes and their club activities never overlapped so that they could be in all the clubs together.

But on this day, they were nowhere to be found.

Serena locked the door of the music room before she crossed the room and sat down. "Lynn came home late last night," she stated calmly as she looked at Phil. "She didn't say anything."

"Jade told me," Phil replied as he sat down next to her. "It seems like the president was challenged and that she got caught by Lynn, Jade and Kay. So I guess that this meeting later on today will be about this issue. I guess that this will end very messy. What are we doing?"

"Olivier was the captain of the first club we ever joined," she replied. "And even though this might not be obvious yet … Bendix will get in trouble as well if Olivier gets in trouble. No one can tell me that he was not there as well … they hardly ever do things alone."

He nodded as he ran his fingers over the ivory keys of the piano. "So we are rather loyal than obedient?" he asked as he gently hit a key. "This seems indeed like the smarter thing to do."

"Chances are high that your sister won't agree with you there," she said absentmindedly. "I believe that we are both painfully aware of Jade's temper if someone breaks her holy rules."

"She was there as well, wasn't she?" he asked as he smiled at her. "In that case, she will be careful because otherwise, she will get herself into trouble as well. It's just good that we are on the same page today as well, Rena. Otherwise, this might have gotten ugly."

She nodded as she got up and walked over to the window. She leaned forward and rested her forehead against the cool glass. "I can see the trio," she stated calmly. "It seems like they are looking for us … but we are staying independent in this case, aren't we?"

"As long as you see no reason for us to become allies with Nerissa, I would rather stay away from them. I fear that this might get nasty otherwise," he replied. "Well, it's time for us now anyway."

And so they left the room with their usual stoic masks set firmly in place.

* * *

"…so, we agree on this?" Kay asked as she looked over her shoulder.

Her followers, Sue Anders and Thomas Croft, nodded as their hands connected.

"Punishment has to be dealt but we will be merciful," Sue said as she smiled at her boyfriend. "We cannot afford handing out punishment we cannot go through with."

"Indeed," Thomas confirmed. "We expect you to handle this wisely, Kay."

They stopped in front of the meeting room and the redhead bit her lip. "And you really don't want to join?" she asked as she rested one hand on the doorhandle.

"Thank you but … no," Sue replied. "We have a date today … and we trust you to handle this in a way goes with the interests of the committee. Don't feel pressured. We all trust you with this."

This is not exactly reassuring … what if I screw up?" she asked.

"You won't," Thomas said before they walked away.

She rolled her eyes before she opened the door – and froze.

It was no surprise to see that Olivier was already there and it was sure as hell not confusing that Bendix was towering behind her. That Lynn and Jade had already arrived was nothing out of the usual either. No, it was the way Serena and Phil were already present because usually, they were the very last ones to arrive.

"Nice too see you, Rena," Kay greeted as she sat down on her place. "How are you?"

"They have come earlier to make sure that no one forces them into an alliance," Jade explained as she leaned back in her chair. "Well, the duel with my stray team member will be happening tomorrow … I expect all of you to be there and watch how I deal with him."

"Oh yes, we will gladly watch the way you are defeated by a second-class fighter," Olivier smirked as she crossed her arms. "I mean, it has been month since anyone saw you fighting seriously, hasn't it?"

Jade's eye twitched. "At least, I got a clean track of victories," she snarled as she crossed her arms. "What, president, cat got your tongue?"

"No, I am merely impressed at the speed of your comebacks," the blonde replied. "Well, since we are complete – no, we aren't … how does it come that Philippe and Serena are here before Nessa and her followers have arrived?"

Bendix shrugged. "I guess that for some reason, the eternal rules have been overthrown?" he tried. "Well, in any case, we shouldn't waste any time with wondering about this."

"Well said, Llewellyn," Nerissa said as she and her friends arrived in the doorframe. "We are present now as well. Kay, go ahead and tell us what marvellous punishment you thought off."

The redhead rose and once more, she managed to avoid the piercing gazes. "I have thought about this for a very long time … how we can keep this entire thing lowkey and how we can prevent this from getting to the teachers' ears," she said. "Under different circumstances, if not both the president and her vice would have been involved, the committee would have dealt out quick punishment," she shrugged and hesitated. "I do know that you would accept any punishment without complaint, Olivier, and this is why I decided to be merciful this time around."

"You know that the committee can merely suggest a punishment?" Nerissa asked as she crossed her arms. "And to be honest, while Jadie-dear dealt with her team members, I would like to ask a question to everyone who was there: how can we ask the other students to obey if we break the rules we were asked to uphold?"

"That is indeed a point worth to be discussed," Olivier said, "but not right now."

"Actually, I am not asking for punishment for everyone but to make sure that something like this won't happen again," the taller blonde interrupted smoothly. "I mean, it was lucky for you and that boy that Jade and Lynn were there to interfere. We won't be always this lucky."

"Agreed," Kay said. "In any case, the punishment we suggest is that the speech during the graduation will not be held by Olivier but by Charles who may be neither president nor vice but the council member who represents the seniors."

"As member of the council, I suggest a different punishment," Serena said but it was obvious that this was merely for the protocol and no real suggestion. "Instead of robbing her off her final duty, we should ask her to fulfil her duty differently."

"Indeed," Phil agreed with a soft smile. "Like … holding even more speeches."

Olivier's glared at him. While she enjoyed being the president of the council, she did not enjoy being sent off to hold speeches when she had no personal interest in a topic.

"So we got two suggestions," Charles summarised as he crossed his arms. "Shall we vote now?"

"We shall," Jade said as she lifted her gaze. "I have no objections."

As she was the highest ranked of the 'innocent' members of the council, she was taking charge now and no one would complain because otherwise, the hierarchy would be ruined. Charles silently rose from his chair and handed out the paper as Kay passed around the box with the pencils. The duo – and Olivier could swear that they were dating – avoided each other's gaze the entire time which prompted Bendix to sigh.

"Okay," Phil said with a tiny smile. "Just vote for either suggestion one or two. I have to write a test in thirty minutes, so I would appreciate it if you wouldn't make a drama out if this."

"Agreed," Serena nodded with a stern expression on her face.

Olivier looked around, trying to figure out what game was currently played. She did not trust anyone inside the room at the moment because all of this seemed scripted to her. She carefully glanced at Nerissa in an attempt to figure out what the other blonde was thinking but long bangs casted the face into dark shadows. Jade's hair was out of the way yet just as always, understanding her was even harder than understanding Nerissa. Finally, the eyes of the Armstrong-heiress reached Charles and she wondered when she had seen him this serious before. The answer was easy: never. While he was certainly one of the most serious and ambitious members of the council, he was also someone who disliked acting all serious and for this reason, it was extremely rare to see him with a frown on his face.

To Olivier, this made it obvious that the different groups within the council had talked beforehand – and this was interesting because she would have guessed that the entire incident would be covered up well enough to avoid this kind of interest. She wondered whether Bendix had known that as well and whether he had already acted in one way or another.

"Very well," Lynn said as she rose. "I assume that all of you have come to a decision by now?"

As secretary, it would be her uncomfortable job to count the votes and to declare the result. In the past, she had been attacked with shoes when the result had been disliked by the council. Among all the more or less headstrong members of the council, Phil had been the one who had thrown more shoes and pencil than anyone else.

Kay nodded as she gently placed her shred of paper in the box Nerissa had passed around.

The silver-haired girl frowned deeply as she started to open the folded papers.

"No matter how the others voted, Charles," Olivier started, "you can hold the speech anyway."

The brunette boy rolled his eyes. "I never expected anything else from you, oh responsible president," he smirked. "Okay, Lena, is there already some sort of result?"

The secretary sent him a fierce glare but this had been to be expected for two reasons. For one, she hated when someone pressured her to work faster and secondly, she disliked being called 'Lena' even though this had been her nickname a long time ago. "If I had finished, I would hardly have said nothing," she snarled as she went back to counting.

Impatience was a common problem within the council.

Nerissa and Jade were the only ones who bothered with patience in the first place and the rest was more or less impatient to the point of being downright rude. Kay who was an alchemist (much to her tyrannical mother's delight) had once destroyed a table when she had lost her cool with one election that had taken multiple hours. But most of them were not innocent either. Phil had thrown shoes and pens around in the room many times and most of the others had done similar things at least at one point as well.

Jade and Nerissa rolled their eyes as they exchanged a glance. As the calmest and most stoic members of the council, they could often only chuckle at their comrades' issues. Olivier often wondered what they would do once they graduated. While she could imagine that Kay would join the army as a state alchemist – because she had the skill, it was hard to imagine Nerissa in the army. It was partially because of her frequent acts of disobedience but also because while she was not short-tempered, she did have a temper as well and she did not like it when someone told her what she had to do because this would stifle her creativity. Jade on the other hand had been probably meant to be a member of the army since the moment she had been born. Her tendency to appreciate rules and her ability to obey without selling her soul to something she could not stand for would bring her far – at least to the rank of a lieutenant colonel within the next seven years. For Olivier, this was a fact.

"Alright, sweethearts," Lynn smiled as she looked up. "I have a result if you are interested."

"We surely are," Bendix grinned as he continue tapping his pen against his glass – a sign of his inner tension. He was difficult to read at times, especially with all the masks he wore to protect himself. To Olivier, he was everything at once because she knew him without the masks.

For everyone else, he was probably everything at once and nothing at all.

"Great," Lynn said as she rose form her chair. "I guess that we will have to listen to you, Charles, congratulations. I am sure that you and Bendix will come up with a neat little speech."

"Wait a moment," Kay interrupted. "Why is Bendix helping Charles with this?"

Serena nodded as she also had not understood this connection yet.

"Easy," Martin said because he had already caught on. "Usually, Bendix would have helped Olivier with the speech. They can deny this as much as they want to but whenever something is important, they do it together. But it would be unfair if we would expect Charles who is already working harder than a usual representing member to do more than Olivier."

"And for this reason, Bendix or someone equally gifted will help Charles with the speech," Jade nodded. "You all have the permission to be impressed."

Olivier rolled her eyes. It was sometimes ridiculously easy to like Jade because she had the right mixture of arrogance and humour and she never took herself too serious. For this reason, she was happy to have the younger girl as vice because once she would be gone, Jade would hold the fort until a new president would be elected.

"Well, just in time," Serena said as she got up. "Phil, we have to leave now."

"It's okay," Olivier said. "I need to leave as well."

One after another, they bustled out until it was just Jade and Bendix who still sat on their chairs.

"I know what you did," he stated calmly as he leaned back. "I don't know how but … you were the one who got Martin to vote pro-Olivier. I don't know what you did … maybe you bribed him with Lynn's number or you blackmailed him … you simply influenced him to change his mind."

"What makes you say that it was me," she replied with a little grin.

"Because Serena is too shy, Phil is not subtle enough and Lynn would never do something like that to the guy she loves," he replied. "You on the other hand have never showed self-doubt once you had a mission … the mission to protect something or someone."

"You will find no proof for my involvement," she said as she got up. "Also … you are welcome."

"What are you playing at, Tempest?" he asked as he crossed his arms.

"You are sure that you really want to hear this? You were worried, not impatient. Worried that the president might end up doing things she dislikes," she replied. "I know that you considered rigging the votes … but that you didn't do it out of fear to get caught."

"What kind of person are you?" he sighed as he started tidying up his place.

"Someone who considered the same," she said. "If we worked together, we might go far…" she mused aloud for a moment. "But knowing you, you will stick to the president, won't you? You will follow her into the depths of hell … I can only admire this dedication."

He smiled. "I guess, yeah," he said. "But your intelligence and sneakiness would have been a great match for my charisma and my ability to manipulate people. Maybe some other day, in a time when I will walk no longer behind someone who shines too bright."

She smiled as she grabbed her own bag. "The president has no idea what she is denying herself," she stated. "Well, if there comes a time you need someone like me, you will know where to find me. I will try becoming a state alchemist once I am done with school."

"What happened to being a lawyer?" he asked as they walked down the hallway.

"What happened to becoming whatever you want to be?" she asked back. "I will be both, believe me. And I really want to work at the library in West City … there are so many interesting scripts that wait to be understood…"

He laughed. "Wouldn't it be nice if in a few years, all of us would walk side by side again?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "This would be … very, very nice."


End file.
